If you don't want to hear anymore about the 2017 draft, move on.

Bearly

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But this is quite damning of Pace beyond the decision of picking Mitch. He got tunnel vision early and thought he was the smartest guy in the room, to the point of not considering other informed opinions. When you do it this way, you need to own it and it's consequences because there's no checks and balances or others to share the blame.
Deshaun Watson’s pro day. Why didn’t they show more interest in the QB?

 
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Anytime45

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I didn’t read this yet because I’m a little busy at work but is this basically the same article as last season that was done by him and I think it was Rich Campbell?
 

Bearly

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This one by Dan Wiederer and is more about damning the process and how that's viewed by others in the know. Less about the pick itself. Thought it relevant with all the current speculation of change.
 

tgmxd

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Or sign Bridgewater.

To me that was this was the biggest mistake. They had a chance this offseason to at least show they'd gotten smarter at the QB position and Pace messed it up again. Newton I at least forgive because he looked done the past few years and was injured.

You sign Bridgewater last year and you're a wildcard team right now with an extra 4th round pick.
 

ThatGuyRyan

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We all know why Ryan Pace didn't select Watson or Mahomes. Or Prescott. Or sign Bridgewater.
USC50TOC201C021001.jpg
 

tgmxd

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But this is quite damning of Pace beyond the decision of picking Mitch. He got tunnel vision early and thought he was the smartest guy in the room, to the point of not considering other informed opinions. When you do it this way, you need to own it and it's consequences because there's no checks and balances or others to share the blame.
Deshaun Watson’s pro day. Why didn’t they show more interest in the QB?


At the end of the day I don't blame the Bears for not bringing in Watson if they had Trubisky and Mahomes both so clearly ahead of him (with real questions about his play and injury history at that point) and thinking at pick #3 worst case scenario they were going to get one of them with the Browns going Miles Garrett at #1.

If they had them even close though it's a huge mistake not at least bringing him in.

I'll always wonder though if the decision to go Trubisky over Mahomes had anything to do with the Bears organization being too scared to bring in another gunslinger at QB and sell it to fans after all those years of Cutler.

If it was a tie and it did go to Trubisky over that and Pace seeing Drew Brees in Trubisky... that's the only thing that would make this sting even more.
 

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At the end of the day I don't blame the Bears for not bringing in Watson if they had Trubisky and Mahomes both so clearly ahead of him (with real questions about his play and injury history at that point) and thinking at pick #3 worst case scenario they were going to get one of them with the Browns going Miles Garrett at #1.

If they had them even close though it's a huge mistake not at least bringing him in.

I'll always wonder though if the decision to go Trubisky over Mahomes had anything to do with the Bears organization being too scared to bring in another gunslinger at QB and sell it to fans after all those years of Cutler.

If it was a tie and it did go to Trubisky over that and Pace seeing Drew Brees in Trubisky... that's the only thing that would make this sting even more.
I think the point is that it was predetermined before the Pro Day and that they didn't use due diligence and all the resources available to make that determination. Like I said. The decision on which QB isn't the biggest problem with the 2017 draft, it's how they got there. It doesn't even mention the the tunnel vision involved in the trade up. 2 big reasons why that pick should weight heavily on Pace's future.

I think they went with Mitch because he appeared to be the safe pick in terms of translating to an NFL O. The predetermination and secrecy also limited Mitch's contact with the OC and QB coach to put Mitch through his paces on a chalk board or throw against defenders. Big case of tunnel vision and assumption here.

Pace after the draft: He highlighted Trubisky’s accuracy, his ability to see and process the entire field, his knack for extending plays. He emphasized his unwavering belief that Trubisky had great “potential to be a championship quarterback,” How did he determine the bolded?\

Now, to be fair and as many here are want to admit, Mitch was the top prospect. This may be the article that Anytime mentioned. Like I said, I can understand missing but I don't care for how we got there and that reflection on the GM.

Why did the Bears draft Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson?

Imagine if the Browns took Mitch at one instead of Garrett.
 
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mattb78

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I am not that mad about Watson. He had injury and accuracy concerns going into the draft, and I assume many teams did not have him on their boards if he made it to #12. He is just one of those players that really stepped his game up in the pros and cleaned up his accuracy and inconsistency issues. Anybody can miss on a QB. Andrew Luck was sold as the best prospect since Manning and he is retired with a sub 90 QBR.

My larger concern for Pace is head coach. Nagy has been an offensive disaster, and if you can't see that coming as a GM, that doesn't bode well for a guy who has to rebuild the offense.

While I am in the minority, I would like to see Pace pick one more head coach. The most important thing a GM can do is draft talent, and I think Pace has done that well. A GM that can find starting talent late in draft is very hard to replace.
 

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Paywall, can someone post the article?
 

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As a UNC fan and living in NC, here is how I remember it.
Trubisky- great, how awesome to have theb Qb from your favorite college team go to your favorite pro team. He had looked awesome up until the Va Tech game. That was during a hurricane, so no biggie. Then, not as good as the rest of the year. Maybe coaching. No biggie.
Watson - watched him A LOT being in ACC country. Was definitely a leader, but he threw a ton of interceptions his last year. A ton and at bad times. - think of how many we watched Cutler throw in the end zone. So, started wondering if he was just a leader on a really good team, not a good QB.
Mahommes- didn't watch much, but was called a gun slinger (what Cutler was called) and compared as a poor man's Favre. So, a turnover machine.

So, at the time Mitch looked good in my opinion. I think he probably could)can be okay, but has that momma's boy personality. Nice guy, nice athlete, has that rich upbringing look to him where anything to help was bought and provided.

As for the Marquis Williams deal, fedora had just had some solid seasons with him including his best season. The rumor was always that Mitch wanted to play and was going to transfer, so the other seasons he would come in for a series here and there to keep him happy. Mitch skipped the senior year because he wouldn't get drafted higher and the offense was going to crumble since all of the weapons were leaving as well. He probably should have transferred and may have been more capable with some confidence.
 

CHIBEAR

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At the end of the day I don't blame the Bears for not bringing in Watson if they had Trubisky and Mahomes both so clearly ahead of him (with real questions about his play and injury history at that point) and thinking at pick #3 worst case scenario they were going to get one of them with the Browns going Miles Garrett at #1.

If they had them even close though it's a huge mistake not at least bringing him in.

I'll always wonder though if the decision to go Trubisky over Mahomes had anything to do with the Bears organization being too scared to bring in another gunslinger at QB and sell it to fans after all those years of Cutler.

If it was a tie and it did go to Trubisky over that and Pace seeing Drew Brees in Trubisky... that's the only thing that would make this sting even more.


Its about the due diligence of it all . You have a rookie gm with a team actively tanking for the first time in forever and he doesn't do his due diligence and it may have set us back another decade.

How could they have Mahomes and Trubisky ahead of him if they never properly evaluate him ?

The Chiefs brought in EVERYBODY Webb, Kizer, Beathard, Dobbs etc and extensively interviewed and tested them all and that diligence paid off in Mahomes the Bears with a noob GM cut corners based on his gut and are now even worse off than they were 5 years ago.
 

Bearly

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Again, this thread isn't about the pick itself but how Pace got there plus the added gyrations surrounding it.
 

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Part of this is the McCaskeys fault. Keeping secrets from your head coach is what happens when you stick your GM with a head coach he doesn’t want. Not communicating with your GM about drafting a QB is also what happens when you’re football stupid. As the article states the Bears are just dysfunctional.

Regardless.... Pace passed on not only MJ, but Barkley too. (To put this in NBA terms). Pace doesn’t know QBs.... clearly. Doesn’t know free agency..... clearly. He does know how to find some gems in the mid rounds. The guy should be a scout or at most a director of college scouting. He’ll get hired again and be in the league for 20-30 more years.
 

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As a UNC fan and living in NC, here is how I remember it.
Trubisky- great, how awesome to have theb Qb from your favorite college team go to your favorite pro team. He had looked awesome up until the Va Tech game. That was during a hurricane, so no biggie. Then, not as good as the rest of the year. Maybe coaching. No biggie.
Watson - watched him A LOT being in ACC country. Was definitely a leader, but he threw a ton of interceptions his last year. A ton and at bad times. - think of how many we watched Cutler throw in the end zone. So, started wondering if he was just a leader on a really good team, not a good QB.
Mahommes- didn't watch much, but was called a gun slinger (what Cutler was called) and compared as a poor man's Favre. So, a turnover machine.

So, at the time Mitch looked good in my opinion. I think he probably could)can be okay, but has that momma's boy personality. Nice guy, nice athlete, has that rich upbringing look to him where anything to help was bought and provided.

As for the Marquis Williams deal, fedora had just had some solid seasons with him including his best season. The rumor was always that Mitch wanted to play and was going to transfer, so the other seasons he would come in for a series here and there to keep him happy. Mitch skipped the senior year because he wouldn't get drafted higher and the offense was going to crumble since all of the weapons were leaving as well. He probably should have transferred and may have been more capable with some confidence.

Couldn't. Beat. Out. Marquise. Williams.

Enough said.

Well, more to say. That loser went 8-5 in the powerhouse ACC his ONLY year of starting. He didn't beat anybody good. Only the Bears could do what they did.

Questions aside, Watson was a pure winner. Beat Alabama. Almost did it twice! He last year at Clemson wasn't his best, but it was clear he was a winner and had more raw ability than mitch.

I also watch a lot of ACC football and mitch in his best days at UNC never looked like Watson.
 

mattb78

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Again, this thread isn't about the pick itself but how Pace got there plus the added gyrations surrounding it.
If Watson wasn't an injury risk, I would be more critical. But he tore an ACL in college. Several teams passed him up.

Watson had legitimate concerns. Injury alone likely took him off several teams radar.

People keep pointing to 2017. It's not like Mahomes and Watson peeled off at picks #3 and #4. They went at #10 and #12. It was an exceptionally odd year were 2 widely under-rated prospects really took off. There is context here that people in hindsight are conveniently overlooking.
 

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